The Nordic Council of Ministers recommends all the Nordic countries to participate actively to solve problems of common interest to ensure safe food of high quality through a sustainable production. All the Nordic countries, and Nordic Industrial Fund, are running research programmes on food, and each programme is worth in the region of 15-30 mill NOK/year.

A Network in Fisheries Research was launched at the TAFT 2003 conference in Reykjavik. This was the first joint Trans Atlantic Fisheries Technologists conference of the Western European Fisheries Technologists´ Association (WEFTA) and the Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference (AFTC).

Today the cost of feed is 50-60% of the total production of farmed cod. A 10% reduction in feed cost will therefore give a minimum of 5% reduction in production cost. The biggest single variable cost in cod farming, the high cost of feed, is the main obstacle in making cod farming economically feasible.

Fact: The reality is that you can’t see, smell or taste harmful bacteria that may cause serious illness. The reality is that you have to trust your food. Safe steps when it comes to producing, processing and preparing food is essential in order to prevent food borne diseases.

Background
The scope of the joint Nordic project was to harmonize ongoing research among the five participating Nordic laboratories through exchange of research personnel, internet homepage, integrated research projects, newsletters and workshops in order to prevent duplication of work and to ensure synergies.

Many of the most successful products and concepts in the healthy nutrition business worldwide have been brought to market by fairly small companies. In general, little is known about Nordic SMEs active in functional foods and health ingredients.

The Nordic countries are well-known for their high quality agricultural products and good farm management. Family farms are the foundation of Nordic agriculture. Nowadays, external demands on agriculture are increasing, leading to pressures on farms that may become overwhelming. These external demands relate to efficiency, compliance with standards, the environment, ethics and human and animal health.

In the Nordic countries, the food industry is of significant importance to the economies. Strong cultural traditions mixed with high quality have been its strength, resulting in good reputation. However, that is not enough in order to be competitive in the global food market. The industry has to carefully observe the rapid developments in the food sector, which makes new thinking and innovations essential.